A specialized training program on inhaler technique delivered by pharmacists to nurses: a study from the United Arab Emirates

• Iman Basheti ^[2] ; Laila Salameh ^[3] ; Bassam Mahboub ^[4] ; Mohammad Abed Sakarneh ^[5] ; Basema Saddik ^[6] ; Mena Al- Ani ^[7] ; Mohamed Al-Hajjaj ^[1] ; Eman Abu-Gharbieh ^[8]
  1. [1] University of Sharjah

     University of Sharjah

     Emiratos Árabes Unidos

     
  2. [2] Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, P.O. Box 166, Amman 11931, Jordan.
  3. [3] Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai 4545, United Arab Emirates.
  4. [4] Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai 4545, United Arab Emirates.
  5. [5] Department of Special Education, Princess Rahama University College, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al Salt 19117, Jordan.
  6. [6] Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
  7. [7] Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Developmental Biology and Cancer Department, London WC1N 1EH, United Kingdom.
  8. [8] Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.

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• Localización: Pharmacy Practice (Granada), ISSN-e 1886-3655, Vol. 20, Nº. 3, 2022 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Jul-Sep)
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Background: Inhaled drug delivery has been hailed as a major advancement in respiratory therapeutics. However, a major limitation to use the inhaled medications effectively is the inability of patients and nurses to use and demonstrate the proper use of these devices correctly. Being the drug experts, pharmacists are in a pivotal position to delivered tailored education to their peers, the nurses. Aim: This study aims to examine nurses’ knowledge of asthma management, their ability to demonstrate proper inhaler technique, and the impact of a specialized workshop training program delivered by skilled pharmacists on improving their performance. Methods: This is a pre- and post-cross-sectional study design in hospital setting where nurses were recruited from the respiratory and emergency departments within a healthcare facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nurses attended a training workshop prepared and delivered by skilled pharmacists on inhaler technique demonstration skills. Nurses’ inhaler technique demonstration skills for Diskus, Turbuhaler, and pMDI were assessed at baseline, immediately after the workshop, and after four weeks. The nurses completed the demographic and Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire (AKQ). Results: A random convenience sample of registered nurses (n=20) from the respiratory and emergency departments was recruited from a tertiary hospital in Sharjah, UAE, with a mean age of 35.25 (SD=6.96) years, of whom 90% were females. The mean number of years of experience was 12.00 years (SD=5.81). Inhaler technique assessment revealed low inhaler technique scores for all the three study inhalers at baseline (mean score for Diskus=3.85 (SD=2.87); Turbuhaler=3.70 (SD=3.20); pMDI=4.50 (SD=2.65)) Significant improvements in inhaler technique scores were noted after the workshop (Diskus=8.9 (SD=0.31); Turbuhaler=8.9 (SD=0.31); pMDI=8.0 (SD=0.00), P<0.001). A significant difference in AKQ scores was found before (mean=4.85 (SD=1.27)) and after (mean=7.50 (SD=0.95)) the workshop training session (P<0.001), and four weeks after the workshop training session (mean=7.55 (SD=0.76), P<0.001). Conclusion: The UAE nurses’ inhaler technique and AKQ scores were suboptimal at baseline. The specialized training program prepared and delivered by the skilled pharmacists improved nurses’ inhaler technique demonstration skills and AKQ scores. Such improvements would reflect positively on patients’ asthma management outcomes as nurses are the health care professionals who interact the most with the patients during hospitalization.